Elinor’s POV
I slowly put down the knife I had been holding on the kitchen countertop and looked up to meet his gaze. He wore a loose robe that barely covered his broad chest, his hair looked tousled and unkempt, and I? Well, I supposed to say that I was mortified was to put it lightly.
My heart raced and searched in my head for ways I could make it out alive of the situation I had found myself in, but nothing.
“Emperor…” I began, completely confused as to what to actually say. Of all the situations, of all the places I could have been caught in, that one wasn’t looking good at all.
“I wasn’t aware that you could cook,” he said, moving closer to look at what I had cut up.
“I- I learned, at some point,” I replied, forcing myself to breathe.
“Your father agreed to this?” he asked, moving to the pot where stew simmered.
“He never knew,” I replied, turning to face him and meeting his gaze. He didn’t look annoyed or angry. If anything, he looked amused.
